RCL Blog 10/31/24
on Month: October 2024
on “Off The Grid” Passion Blog #7 10/31/24
on Green urbanization is the development of urban areas like cities with a greater emphasis on sustainability and environmental conservation. This approach also known as urban re-wilding has a profound impact on the life of citizens within the cities as they can experience a greater quality of life due to a majority of factors.
Air quality is something that effects all of our lives, this past summer, fires in Canada lead to extremely hazardous conditions where I am from, leading to even schools closing. Green urbanization offers the inclusion of plants and trees to the concrete jungles we are so “fond” of, leading to an immense increase of air quality leading to greater health of the inhabitants.
Biodiversity is a growing area of study in the world today and refers to the variety of species and fauna found in an area. Prior to the urbanization of these areas, they were normal forests, heck, New York City and Manhattan Island were a swamp and wetland before the Dutch arrived. As the human virus spread across these virgin lands the animals retreated farther into the frontier leaving behind their homelands. Re-wilding of these areas can lead to species and fauna returning helping to increase population numbers and curve extinction efforts.
The heat, something we love and dread at the same time, the world is getting hotter, that’s no question. Cities like New York have been experiencing the hottest temperatures in years and the large black tarmacs and giant buildings attracting ultraviolet radiation are no help. The addition of trees and other plants into these urban settings can act as a barrier attracting and taking in sunlight to help mitigate the heat induction of the buildings and ground.
Green spaces are a phenomenon appearing in cities around the world in cities that are sections full of plants and animals acting as a little oasis within the complexity of the skyscrapers. It is not secret nature has an immense calming effect; these areas allow people to unwind and escape society within the bounds of their life. A great example of a green space is Central Park in New York City, a giant protected stretch that allows for people to feel as though they are in their own little forest.
Nowadays all people care about is property values, no one wants to buy a house that they know will depreciate in value as the neighborhood around it crumples. Green amenities make a place more desirable for families to move into as well as making neighborhoods seem a lot safer as a whole.
Now, as college students at Penn State, we are pretty blessed when it comes to green infrastructure, walking around campus there are trees and plants everywhere, it would be a challenge to go so far without seeing a squirrel. Other students are not so lucky, for an example, my girlfriend is a student at Ohio State (the worst school ever), she has to deal with higher temperatures, worse air quality, worse looking streets, and more dangerous people all due to the fact that Columbus is an extremely environmentally challenged city. To mask this, she can try and find the few parks that exist in the city, but it truly is a challenge.
As a whole, green urbanization and re-wilding is a growing field that will definitely become more apparent in the near future.
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RCL Blog 10/24/24
on “Should we eat bugs?” Is a TED Talk from Emma Bryce that highlights the public perception of entomophagy or consumption of bugs and how it shifted from normal to foreign over time.
Bryce constructs her speech through the use of a timeline highlighting times on history when consumption on insects was seen as normal such as when humans were nomadic all the way up to the ancient Greeks and Romans who consumes larvae as a delicacy. Bryce compares this time to current times where more urban parts of the world have shifted their view of insects being pests, she attributed this view to a key event of when farming gains popularity insects would ravage the crops which is when they began to be views as pests.
Bryce again makes a modern-day connection when she talks about shrimp and lobster which are similar in genetic makeup to insects and seen as the bugs of the sea. Though this similarity is prevalent lobster and shrimp are seen as a delicacy in our society today.
The speaker uses to PowerPoint to show images of insects that would be consumed by humans in the past and ties those imaged into pictures we today would view as disgusting pests. This TED Talk shows the shift in public perception which is what I would want to show in my TED Talk about the shift in peoples view on political candidates due to conspiracy theories with the major event being Hillary Clinton’s “body count.” After the conspiracy about Clinton, people started to allow these theories to dictate their vote, for instance, there are the Hunter Biden laptops and even the claims from Trump of a stolen election. Or, I can also take the angle on how conspiracy theories shifted the publics trust in the government, starting with JFK’s assassination then going to RFK’s death from the CIA then to the fake moon landing (which truly was fake).
This TED Talk allowed me to see an exceptional use of time and visuals to really get the paradigm shift across while also staying appealing to a greater group of individuals within the audience in the setting.
“Off The Grid” Passion Blog #6 10/24/24
on Sustainability has become of utter importance in our world today. The average carbon footprint for an individual within the world is four tons but, an average American has a much greater carbon footprint than that. It is no secret that the United States has one of the highest emission and carbon release rates in the world. As environmental awareness becomes prevalent within our society the sensible person wants to think of ways, they can lower their emissions and carbon footprint. Moving off the grid is the greatest way to reduce the effects of global warming but also the most extreme, people off the grid can harness renewable sources of electricity, adopt more sustainable practices, and thus, in hand, decrease their reliance on fossil fuels. Adopting this lifestyle can help not only the country but the world reaches its new sustainability goal.
One major way that off-grid living helps to reduce an individual’s carbon footprint is through renewable energy sources. Other than relying on energy derived from fossil fuels like coal, almost all of the off the grid households utilize alternative energy methods such as solar, wind, or waterpower. Solar panels, first used by people living out of bounds of normal electricity grids, have now started to become commonplace in suburban and urban areas of the country, thus, decreasing carbon emissions as a whole.
In 2020 alone, electricity creation created about 25% of the total United States greenhouse gas emissions, with the majority coming from combustion due to fossil fuels. Off-grid homes that use renewable energy avoid contributing to this sector’s emissions. Not only does this reduce their individual carbon footprint, but when adopted on a larger scale, it can significantly help in lowering the country’s overall carbon emissions.
Waste has become a growing problem within not only out country hut the world. No one likes to see a giant landfill popping up in their backyard but that is the reality for more and more Americans each year. on top of this, it’s becoming commonplace now for people to learn about the country sized island of plastic floating in the Pacific Ocean, it has become one of if not the saddest sight to see on this very planet. Now, what does living far from society in your own retreat have to do with waste? Like I said, no one wants to see landfill on their lawn, when you are off the grid on your own your waste is on you, which makes people more inclines to utilize practices such as composting, recycling, or even just simply reusing containers and such.
Now, as a college student, how can I lower my carbon footprint, its simple, do the little things. Living in dorms we do not pay our electricity bill or water bill but that’s no excuse to leave the lights or gadgets on when you are away from the room. On top of this, avoiding plastic containers and adopting glass or reusable metal containers can help put the cherry on top of your lower emissions. As a whole, as college students, we have a debt to pay not only to our institutions but to our world as it is our future to inherent, these practices will not be a burden on your life but just take maybe an extra three minutes to clean that bottle once a week, all in all, be sustainable as best as you can, because you’ll be the one to reap the reward or eat the issue.
Carbon Footprint
RCL Blog 10/17/24
on Shift 1: How the discovery of the North American continent led to the formation of the Professional Lacrosse League.
Necessary background to this paradigm shift will include the years leading up to the discovery of the new continent and the interaction that took place between the natives and colonists of the new world. The main players in the transition would include John Rolfe, who was the first main colonist to engage in interactions with the native population, Christopher Columbus, who popularized travel westward across the Atlantic, and lastly, Paul Rabil, who single handedly brought Lacrosse into the light of mainstream sports and founded the PLL. The complication behind this shift comes from the fact that Lacrosse was almost eradicated with the native population who created the game, the sport dwindles greatly in periods and only shot up in popularity recently, the PLL itself is only five years old. The audience would learn the intricacies that took place from colonists discovering the sport, to it almost being forgotten, to a resurgence. The PLL is only going up, gaining millions of new viewers over the last couple of years, meaning the conversation will move into when will it pass leagues like the NHL, MLS or even maybe the NBA.
Shift 2: How the release of Star Wars aided an increase in childhood enjoyment and fonder memories of early development.
Necessary background information to this shift would include statistics of childhood enjoyment levels before the release of the first Star Wars movie as well as the general reception of children about the movie as a whole. The main players in this shift include George Lucas, who made the movies, Disney, who ruined the movies down the line, and actors such as Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, and Carrie Fisher, who children idolized. The complication of this comes in when people downplay the significance media has on children and the fact that many people have based their personalities and lives solely on Star Wars showing its impact. The audience would learn hoe media can have an immensely positive effect on children’s upbringing and shaping their personality. The conversations for the future will be headed in the direction in that does modern day “brain rot” media have a negative effect whereas in depth complex stories like Star Wars had a positive effect.
Shift 3: How the discovery of Antarctica in 1820 led to the formation of the Hollow Earth Theory.
Necessary background information for this shift includes the facts leading to the discovery of the southernmost continent. The key players for this shift include Captain Fabien (Thaddeus) Gottleib von Bellingshausen who discovered Antarctica on his expedition south, Admiral Byrd who was a high-ranking British pilot who saw the tunnel to inner Earth when flying over the south pole, and Edmond Hailey who came up with the theory. The shift is complicated because many believe the theory is false but there in an immense amount of evidence and facts that would support a tunnel hidden deep in the south pole. The audience would be swayed to believe there is a secret society residing in the inside of our planet and that there is a tunnel imbedded within Antarctica, they would also learn the history of its discovery. Future conservations will be why is there so much secrecy around the continent and why is it so off limits.
Works Cited
“Off The Grid” Passion Blog #5 10/16/24
on The ocean, I was blessed enough to grow up within walking distance of the great Atlantic Ocean in Seaside Park NJ, a vast expanse of water teeming with life, seemingly endless. Living near the ocean can provide an individual with not only a fun time surfing and skimming but provide them with immense mental health benefits. The combination of serene noises, beautiful scenery, and fresh air can fertilize an environment teeming with stress reducing aromas.
One of the most significant mental health benefits of living near the ocean is the reduction in stress and anxiety. The sound of waves crashing against the shore has a calming effect, often compared to white noise, which can lower cortisol levels in the body. This natural sound can help to soothe a busy mind and encourage meditation. The rhythmic nature of waves can also trigger a state of intense relaxation, making it easier to focus on the present moment and let go of everyday worries. For individuals dealing with anxiety, this natural environment offers an escape from urban noise and the hustle of daily life.
The ocean has a remarkable ability to enhance mood and overall emotional well-being. Studies have shown that being near water, particularly the ocean, can stimulate the release of endorphins, the body’s “feel-good” hormones. This can lead to an elevated mood and increased feelings of happiness. Moreover, the natural beauty of the ocean can evoke feelings of inspiration, contributing to a more positive mental state. For those suffering from depression, proximity to the ocean may provide a much-needed lift in mood, offering a sense of peace and contentment.
Physical activity is a proven mood booster and allows people to feel more fulfilled in their day. Whether it’s swimming, surfing, walking along the beach, or engaging in yoga, the opportunities for exercise are plentiful. Physical activity is known to release serotonin and dopamine, chemicals in the brain associated with pleasure and happiness. Regular exercise not only improves physical fitness but also reduces symptoms of anxiety and depression. The beach setting also makes it easier to stick to an active routine, as the ocean can make workouts feel more enjoyable and less like a chore.
A key benefit of living near the ocean is the opportunity to connect with nature. Spending time outdoors has been shown to reduce mental fatigue and improve focus and cognitive function. The ocean offers a unique sensory experience that combines sight, sound, and smell, which can ground a person in the moment and help to alleviate the pressures of modern life. This connection to nature can reduce the sense of isolation and loneliness, as individuals often feel a deeper sense of belonging and connectedness to the world when immersed in a natural environment.
Being creative is a major factor in human existence. Just think for a second, how many paintings do you see that are of bodies of water like the ocean, I will answer for you, a lot. The ocean fosters a sense of creativity, staring at the expansive horizon and such allows a person dig deep into their thoughts and pull out their creative juices.
As a whole, we live in Pennsylvania, which is annoyingly far from the ocean but, what we do have here in Pennsylvania is brooks, streams, and rivers! Personally, I am not a fan of lakes, so I am not going to talk about them since there basically just giant cesspools of still water and bacteria. Moving water in rivers and such allow an audible cue similar to waves crashing that humans view as relaxing, instead of a beach, these waterways can be found in forests, again fostering a sense of nature enhancing the senses of relaxation, releasing all the good chemicals and inhibiting the bad ones.
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“Off The Grid” Passion Blog #4 10/3/24
on As Americans today, we live in a world full of rising tensions, disagreement, and conflict. Conflict can be described as an incompatible clash between opposing ideals or individuals. We are surrounded by this today, from arguments in bagel stores every morning over a warm coffee, to Israel and Palestine killing innocent people, everywhere we look there is some sort of conflict.
It some circumstances, it will always be unavoidable to get along with everyone, especially in a setting like college, where thousands of students learning their place in the world are in one environment together. As college students we are just starting to learn what we believe is right and our opinions on other issues are still forming, this leads to a clash of ideas because students are all raised differently and form different places affecting their ideals.
There are many ways as students we can avoid conflict, a major one being to recognize that everyone has an opinion different form yours and that is totally okay, you can have a healthy debate on issues but realize that you may not change their mind and there is nothing wrong with that.
Part of the college experience is meeting new people and with that comes the issue of conflict, a major thing everyone needs to learn in college is to take nothing to heart, you can have a heated debate with friends leading to a stalemate but learn to not hold anything against them just move on with the day and hour life.
Now, how can moving “off the grid” help you avoid conflict in your life? An obvious benefit is the lack of people surrounding you, that is not saying that people always lead to conflict, but the less people you surround yourself with the less times you will come head-to-head with conflict. Another factor is that when you move into these areas you are usually only surrounding yourself with peoples whose company you enjoy thus leading to an escape from conflict.
Moving “off the grid” allows you as an individual to disassociate with the conflicts going on across the world. It seems like every day a new country is being bombed and more people are suffering over a stupid disagreement it can be extremely depressing at times. Studies show that people who have less access and pay less attention to news are overall much happier thus leading to them avoiding further conflicts in life.
As a whole, conflict is something prevalent in all walks of life, in some instances it is unavoidable but there are steps to take to minimize disagreements which include taking nothing to heart and recognizing the importance of conflicting ideals.
RCL Blog 10/3/24
on Music, an outlet used for generations to push agendas, move people (literally and figuratively), and be entertaining. Pink Floyd and Bob Dylan are two vastly different artists from the sixties and seventies whose lyrics prove to have deeper meanings especially on their works “Animals” and “Times Are A Changin” which helped to propel and inspire the youth and working classes to stand up for themselves. Though with a similar motive the artists take different approaches, Pink Floyd take a more radical approach calling out the shortcomings of society and using commonplaces such as “pigs, dogs, and sheep” to describe the newly formed class system. On the other hand, Dylan takes a more rational approach with the purpose of uplifting the youth, proving to them that they have control of their future whilst also calling for the politicians “to heed the calls.” Both thought provoking works share the ideological criticism of capitalism questioning the effects the system has on the youth and working class through the use of labels and calls to action.
“Animals” is a Pink Floyd album from 1977, a time of changing society in England that faces many problems for the working class. The purpose of the songs is to question the newly capitalistic society. The working class related to the song through the use of commonplaces such as “pigs, dogs, and sheep.” Pink Floyd question the ideology of capitalism through the use of labeling the new class system and relating them to widely known animals whose characteristics are present in that class, this helps to persuade the audience because of the negative connotations associated with each animal as well as the calls to action.
“Times Are A Changin” is a Bob Dylan song published in 1963 during a time of political turmoil and counter culture within the United States. The driving force behind the song is more specifically to create an anthem, Dylan is quoted as saying, “I wanted to write a big song, some kind of theme song, with short, concise verses that piled up on each other in a hypnotic way. This is definitely a song with a purpose. I knew exactly what I wanted to say and who I wanted to say it to.” Dylan succeeded in his goal to make an anthem for the frustrated youth that seemed more as a call to action rather than a bashing of ideologies. Bob Dylan, like Pink Floyd, questions the shortcomings of society but in his case it is American Society in the heat of a war killing the youth. Dylan questions the working class system as well as calling the youth to action to stand up for themselves.
Though both artifacts aim to question and call out capitalistic society, Pink Floyd takes a more radical approach calling for the working class to physically uprising and fight back whilst Bob Dylan calls for change through activism and peaceful protests. Bringing these two famous works together shows the divide between people fighting for similar goals just like Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, Pink Floyd and Bob Dylan want similar futures but like the civil rights leaders they cannot agree on the best avenue to take violence or peace. These artifacts prove that we still face these problems today in our society, not enough action was taken leading to us facing the same issues today, though the revival of these ideals through new songs could spark change.
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